Harvest

We had to be up at 4.30 to leave at 5 for the airport. I’m glad we had the guide as the domestic terminal was chaos. After fighting our way through the crowds outside we had to struggle to get through the first security into the airport building. In the melee we got shoes off, watches off, coats off (it is chilly at 2500m high at the hour) and tried to get it all in a tray with people shoving in front. Check-in was horrendous as people with huge boxes and cases crowded in trying to push in front of our guide at the desk. He arrived back with boarding cards and 3 passports. He’d dropped mine in the chaos but we got it back. The hour flight to Mekele in the north was uneventful. We found out that our bags got to Addis- but we are in Mekele.

After getting to our room we had a quick freshen up before getting on the road at 9ish. We drove through beautiful scenery and a few small towns, in one of which a very irate policeman continued to shout at our driver who had stopped to let us out to buy some bananas. He was having none of our profuse apologies and continued to berate the driver.

We asked to stop when we saw some men threshing their wheat with oxen. Nearby 2 women and 2 boys were harvesting with sickles. We gave them something for letting us photograph them.

We continued on to Negash firstly to see what Explore’s notes said was an ancient mosque. They’ve had 5 years to get it right - a brand new mosque and shrine have been built by the Turks. Never these it is still one of the most sacred places of worship for Ethiopia’s Muslims. Muslims cane here to excepted persecution in the early days of Islam.

We had lunch of lentil soup and a kind of chickpea sauce with chillis and injera, a staple which is like a thin pancake. The place we ate was for tourists on a hilltop.

Next we went down into the town to visit Wukro Chirkos a rough hewn church thought to be older than Lalibela’s built around 1300 years ago. It had cruciform pillars, cubical capitals, an Aksumite frieze and barrel-vaulted ceiling. In around 8th century a Falujan Queen Judith torched it so some of the friezes are charred. The best bit was when the priest sang and played some instruments - he used his priest’s stick to bang out the rhythm and shook a kind of silver rattle. it was quite a moving experience. Next he showed us how he danced while playing a large drum.

My bag had arrived but the airport would not give the collector Mr C’s as the baggage receipt had been lost either by the guide or the hotel.

I’m going to have a shower but first need to persuade reception to let me have a towel. I can post this from reception if WiFi is on.

Tomorrow we leave at 4am for the long drive to the Danakil Depression. That’s 1am home time - I think we are still operating on that!